Pirate Competitor of the Week – Mason Smith Boys Basketball
Coach Matt Wienen said, “This week in 3 games Mason averaged 8 points per game, with him having a Varsity career high of 14 points vs Bellevue Marquette. Mason has been a different player since the start of the new year. He’s taken advantage of his opportunity on the court and he’s done an outstanding job. Against Bellevue Marquette on Saturday, we were dealt with early foul trouble where Mason had to step up in a big way. He had 12-2nd quarter points with 2 big 3 pointers to help us. He also had 3 steals and 4 rebounds in the game to go with his 14 points. I’ve been very happy with Mason play all year and he keeps improving every day on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He’s stepped up big all year for us in key situations and I’m looking forward to him continuing that success the rest of the season.”
Mason was honored with a gift basket from the Galena Culver’s, as well as a newspaper courtesy of the Galena Gazette.
Other Nominations
Justin Lin Scholastic Bowl – Justin took the number-4 spot on the Galena Turnabout All-Tournament Team, having correctly answered 21 tossup questions in six 20-question scholastic bowl matches. Six of his answers came so quickly, that he earned a “power” for bonus points. In the 14 matches that we’ve played so far this season, Justin has the highest tossup total on the team (33) and the second-highest answering percentage (11 correct answers for every 100 questions read). Coach Ron Jenkins says, “Justin is already making his mark as a freshman on the varsity team. He has a wide breadth of knowledge that serves him well in Scholastic Bowl. I look forward to seeing how well he does throughout the remainder of the season, as well as over the next 3 years.”
Dani Rae Hulscher Girls Basketball – Coach Jamie Watson said, “Dani led the team in assists, was 3rd on the team in rebounds this week and was a huge part of our 2 big victories over Orangeville and Freeport. She also hit a clutch free throw late in the game vs Freeport. Dani has played a much larger role for us recently and has been playing really good basketball. She works hard on the defensive end and continues to improve on the offensive end. Dani is a great kid and has had a good season so far. Keep up the great work, Dani!”